Cruise Description

9 Night Cruise sailing from Barcelona roundtrip aboard Explora II.

Highlights of this cruise:

Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain and the capital of Catalonia. It is located on the shores of the Mediterranean and enjoys a mild climate all year round.Barcelona is one of Europe’s largest and most successful ports and one of the world’s leading cities in art and architecture.

From the modern cruise terminal at the docks you will need a taxi or tour to see the artistic beauty of this unique destination, credited to the talents of Joan Miro, Pablo Picasso, Antonio Gaudi, Jose Clara and others. Stroll the mosaic-paved Ramblas, the city's social hub, with open-air cafes, street entertainers and flower displays. See its unique Catalonian cultural heritage in the ancient Gothic Quarter, the surrealistic architecture of Antonio Gaudi and some outstanding museums.

Sights of interest include the Columbus Monument, the Cathedral of Santa Eulalia (1298 to 1454), the Maritime Museum, Picasso Gallery, La Sagrada Familia (Gaudi's unfinished cathedral), Palau Guell (Gaudi mansion) and the Olympic stadiums.

Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city of Portugal. a lively and multicultural place. Pre World War I wooden trams clank up steep gradients, past mosaic pavements and Art Nouveau cafés, and the medieval, village-like quarter of Alfama hangs below the city's castle.

Modern Lisbon has kept an easy-going pace and boasts a vibrant, cosmopolitan identity from large communities of Africans and Asians. In 1994, Lisbon was European City of Culture, while in 1998 the city hosted the last great Expo of the millennium.

There are few monuments and little art in Lisbon, largely due to the 1755 earthquake. There is one building from Portugal's golden age – the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos at Belém – that is the equal of any monument in the country. More modern developments include the Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian museum complex and the Tómas Taveira's amazing postmodernist shopping centre at Amoreiras.

Valencia
Valencia is a charming old city and the capital of the Valencia province of Spain that is well worth a visit. It is located on the Mediterranean Sea approximately 4 hours to the south of Barcelona and 3 hours to the east of Madrid. Valencia is famous for its Fallas festival in March, for being the birthplace of paella, for hosting the 2007 America´s Cup, and for the massive architectural project by Santiago Calatrava called The City of Arts and Sciences.

There used to be a river running through the centre of the city but the river was redirected a while back and so now there's a beautiful park where the river used to be. This is a very nice place to while away any free time you have in the city on a sunny day.

Valencia has something for everyone, long beaches of golden sand on the coast, inland mountain ranges, indoor and outdoor sports facilities, golf courses and sailing lessons, culture and entertainment, holy shrines, exquisite cuisine, good business, interesting congresses and conventions.